Definition
The process by which probes attach to parts of the genome during some tests.
Use in clinical context
In clinical genomics, hybridisation refers to the process by which probes – modified short pieces of synthetic single-stranded DNA or RNA – attach to complementary parts of the genome. This occurs due to complementary base pairing.
The hybridisation of probes to the genome is used in a method called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), where they are important in determining which part of the genome is copied. It is also used in fluorescence in situ hybridization, where the probes are fluorescently labelled so that the parts of the genome they are hybridised to can be visualised.
